Exodus 4

1 Moses answered and said: They will not believe me, nor hear my voice, but they will say: The Lord hath not appeared to thee.

And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice, for they will say, Jehovah has not appeared to thee.

2 Then he said to him: What is that thou holdest in thy hand? He answered: A rod.

And Jehovah said to him, What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod.

3 And the Lord said: Cast it down upon the ground. He cast it down, and it was turned into a serpent: so that Moses fled from it.

And he said, Cast in on the ground. And he cast it on the ground. And it became a serpent, and Moses fled from before it.

4 And the Lord said: Put out thy hand and take it by the tail. He put forth his hand, and took hold of it, and it was turned into a rod.

And Jehovah said to Moses, Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail (and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand),

5 That they may believe, saith he, that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared to thee.

that they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to thee.

6 And the Lord said again: Put thy hand into thy bosom. And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it forth leprous as snow.

And Jehovah said furthermore to him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom. And when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as snow.

7 And he said: Put back thy hand into thy bosom. He put it back, and brought it out again, and it was like the other flesh.

And he said, Put thy hand into thy bosom again. (And he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.)

8 If they will not believe thee, saith he, nor hear the voice of the former sign, they will believe the word of the latter sign.

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, nor hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign.

9 But if they will not even believe these two signs, nor hear thy voice: take of the river water, and pour it out upon the dry land, and whatsoever thou drawest out of the river shall be turned into blood.

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs, nor hearken to thy voice, that thou shall take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land. And the water which thou take out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.

10 Moses said: I beseech thee, Lord. I am not eloquent from yesterday and the day before: and since thou hast spoken to thy servant, I have more impediment and slowness of tongue.

And Moses said to Jehovah, Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou have spoken to thy servant, for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.

11 The Lord said to him: Who made man’s mouth? or who made the dumb and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? did not I?

And Jehovah said to him, Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, Jehovah?

12 Go therefore and I will be in thy mouth: and I will teach thee what thou shalt speak.

Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shall speak.

13 But he said: I beseech thee, Lord send whom thou wilt send.

And he said, Oh, Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou will send.

14 The Lord being angry at Moses, said Aaron the Levite is thy brother, I know that he is eloquent: behold he cometh forth to meet thee, and seeing thee shall be glad at heart.

And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is there not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he comes forth to meet thee, and when he sees thee, he will be glad in his heart.

15 Speak to him, and put my words in his mouth: and I will be in thy mouth, and in his mouth, and will shew you what you must do.

And thou shall speak to him, and put the words in his mouth. And I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do,

16 He shall speak in thy stead to the people, and shall be thy mouth: but thou shalt be to him in those things that pertain to God.

and he shall be thy spokesman to the people. And it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shall be to him as God.

17 And take this rod in thy hand, wherewith thou shalt do the signs.

And thou shall take this rod in thy hand, with which thou shall do the signs.

18 Moses went his way, and returned to Jethro his father in law and said to him: I will go and return to my brethren into Egypt, that I may see if they be yet alive. And Jethro said to him: Go in peace.

And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said to him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return to my brothers who are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace.

19 And the Lord said to Moses, in Madian: Go, and return into Egypt: for they are all dead that sought thy life.

And Jehovah said to Moses in Midian, Go, return into Egypt, for all the men are dead who sought thy life.

20 Moses therefore took his wife, and his sons, and set them upon an ass: and returned into Egypt, carrying the rod of God in his hand.

And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.

21 And the Lord said to him as he was returning into Egypt: See that thou do all the wonders before Pharao, which I have put in thy hand: I shall harden his heart, and he will not let the people go.

And Jehovah said to Moses, When thou go back into Egypt, see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.

22 And thou shalt say to him: Thus saith the Lord: Israel is my son, my firstborn.

And thou shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says Jehovah, Israel is my son, my firstborn,

23 I have said to thee: Let my son go, that he may serve me, and thou wouldst not let him go: behold I will kill thy son, thy firstborn.

and I have said to thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me, and thou have refused to let him go. Behold, I will slay thy son, thy firstborn.

24 And when he was in his journey, in the inn, the Lord met him, and would have killed him.

And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that Jehovah met him, and sought to kill him.

25 Immediately Sephora took a very sharp stone, and circumcised the fore skin of her son, and touched his feet and said: A bloody spouse art thou to me.

Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet. And she said, Surely a bridegroom of blood thou are to me.

26 And he let him go after she had said A bloody spouse art thou to me, because of the circumcision.

So he let him alone. Then she said, A bridegroom of blood thou are, because of the circumcision.

27 And the Lord said to Aaron: Go into the desert to meet Moses. And he went forth to meet him in the mountain of God, and kissed him.

And Jehovah said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses. And he went, and met him on the mountain of God, and kissed him.

28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord, by which he had sent him, and the signs that he had commanded.

And Moses told Aaron all the words of Jehovah with which he had sent him, and all the signs with which he had ordered him.

29 And they came together, and they assembled all the ancients of the children of Israel.

And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the sons of Israel.

30 And Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had said to Moses: and he wrought the signs before the people,

And Aaron spoke all the words which Jehovah had spoken to Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.

31 And the people believed. And they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel: and that he had looked upon their affliction: and falling down they adored.

And the people believed. And when they heard that Jehovah had visited the sons of Israel, and that he had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshiped.